Parentheses Punctuation in Writing

PARENTHESES:

The use of parentheses in writing. 
"parenthesis" is singular
"parentheses" is plural

Parentheses are used to:

     a)   Enclose words not directly relevant to the main topic of the sentence but too important to omit. 
           Example:  

    Optimistic thinking people (and I count myself among them) always seem to produce positive results in any situation.

b)   Enclose figures or letters marking the division of a subject.  
Example:  

      Our silent auction fundraising project included the following priorities:
      (1) Securing the location to hold the auction.
      (2) Soliciting businesses in the community to donate items.
      (3) Launching an aggressive advertising campaign in the community.

c)   Add examples. 
Example:  

      The new photo copier has many features (including scanning options and faxing capabilities) that will be most beneficial to us in this office.

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